System and Methods for Facilitating Virtual Presence

ABSTRACT

A virtual presence system includes a display having a structural matrix configured to arrange a plurality of spaced pixel elements. A plurality of spaced pixel elements collectively form an active visual area wherein an image is displayable. At least one image capture device is disposed within the active visual area for capturing an image. The system is able to sense the environment in front of the display and, in response to what is sensed, is able to change one or more attributes of a displayed image, or, is able to change the displayed image or a portion of the displayed image.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional utility application is a continuation of and claimsthe benefit of application Ser. No. 15/988,428, filed May 24, 2018,entitled “System and Methods for Facilitating Virtual Presence”.Application Ser. No. 15/988,428 in a continuation of and claimed thebenefit of application Ser. No. 15/262,507, filed Sep. 12, 2016,entitled “System and Methods for Facilitating Virtual Presence”.Application Ser. No. 15/262,507 claimed the benefit of application Ser.No. 15/140,862, filed Apr. 28, 2016, entitled “Methods for FacilitatingVirtual Presence”. application Ser. No. 15/140,862 is a continuation ofand claimed the benefit of application Ser. No. 13/297,784, filed Nov.16, 2011, entitled “Systems for Facilitating Virtual Presence”.application Ser. Nos. 13/297,784, 15/140,862, and 15/262,507 areincorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a display system which provides forsensors located within a display's active image area for capturing dataand information of objects before the viewing area for subsequentprocessing and more specifically to a video integration system forfacilitating the display of real time images from a location to a remotelocation in a manner which accommodates the multi-positioning ofindividuals during the viewing time frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telepresence is a term which identifies the transmission of an imagefrom a particular location to another viewing area in a real timemanner. Telepresence is a rapidly growing technology sector includingeverything from a free Skype call using the camera in your laptop or onyour PC to a Cisco Telepresence® system costing over $250,000. Atelepresence system typically consists of computer hardware fortelecommunications and affiliated software for interconnecting separatelocations for operating a video conference system or other videopresentation. Associated audio and video integration is typicallyutilized.

Cisco is one of the world leaders in telepresence and has a family ofproducts that they are selling in the marketplace, some of which are asfollows: Cisco TelePresence® System 3000 is the higher end version ofCisco TelePresence®, featuring three 1080p flat panel displays. Thesetup for the system includes tables, microphones, speakers, cameras,collaboration interfaces and lighting. This system includes a second rowof tables, to allow up to 18 people in a single room. There are actuallytwo rear row configurations; a twelve person configuration to allow upto eighteen people to be on-screen and, for smaller spaces, an eightperson configuration to allow up to fourteen people to be on-screen.There are three 65″ displays and a high fidelity audio system. CiscoTelePresence® System 1300 features a single 1080p flat panel display,but has a unique camera system that switches automatically to the activespeaker. The Cisco TelePresence® 1300 Series seats up to 6 participantsand consists of a single 65″ display. Cisco TelePresence® System 1000features a single 1080p flat panel display. Cisco TelePresence® System500 features a complete 1080p system in a smaller form factor for smalloffice applications to small conference rooms and includes a 37″ LCD1080p display and camera.

All of these systems contain at least one display either a LCD or plasmaand one camera mounted generally above the display. The participantslook at the displays to see the parties on the other side of thetelepresence meeting and their image is captured by the camera locatedgenerally on top of the displays that their looking at. Such aconfiguration while suitable for its intended purpose has the potentialfor presenting a number of challenges that all users and systems face.There is a very small zone in which telepresence can occur because ofthe field of view of the camera. If during a telepresence session aperson stands up it is possible that their head and upper body will becut off from view, if they move laterally out of the field of view thecamera they will disappear from the other person's view. Accordingly,telepresence today requires strict adherence to the narrow zonedelineated by the type of camera used in the system. Furthermore, thecameras are located beyond the display's image area and may not providean eye level presentation to a viewer.

A third constraint is that by using only one camera there is only onepoint of view for all the participants. If there is a display in frontof you and you are viewing the participant on the display you areactually seeing that participant at an angle from the camerasperspective as opposed to a realistic head-on perspective that you wouldhave if you are actually attending a meeting and sitting across thetable from the other participant. These seemingly slight visual miscuescreate a restless and unnatural perspective while participating in thevideo conference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A virtual presence system includes a display having a structural matrixconfigured to arrange a plurality of spaced pixel elements. A pluralityof spaced pixel elements collectively form an active visual area whereinan image is displayable. At least one image capture device is disposedwithin the active visual area for capturing an image.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference should be made tothe following detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale, in which:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the virtual presence system withan exploded view of a portion of the active visual area in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a back portion of the virtual presencesystem in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of a back portion of the virtualpresence system with an exploded view of a portion of the active visualarea in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of a back portion of the virtualpresence system with an exploded view of a portion of the active visualarea in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of back portions of virtual presencesystems in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of front portions of virtual presencesystems in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are views of a virtual presence system including asensor device having both emitting and receiving capabilities, FIG. 7Abeing a side view, FIG. 7B being a back perspective view.

FIG. 8 is a virtual presence system in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 9 is an example implementation of the present virtual presencesystem in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is an example implementation of the present virtual presencesystem in accordance with an embodiment of the invention illustrated thedisplay image area presenting information to a first viewer.

FIG. 11 is an example implementation of the present virtual presencesystem in accordance with an embodiment of the invention as shown inFIG. 10 with a viewer interacting with the displayed information.

FIG. 12 is an example implementation of an advertising embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is an example implementation of an advertising embodiment asshown in FIG. 12 providing real time ads based upon perceivedcharacteristics of a passerby.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the invention will now be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichsome, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. The inventionmay be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are directed to, among otherthings, systems and methods for facilitating virtual presence. Certainillustrative embodiments of the invention may be directed towardsvirtual presence systems comprising a display having an active visualarea, at least one sensor device disposed within the active visual area,and at least one signal processor in communication with the at least onesensor device.

Certain illustrative embodiments of the virtual presence system mayinclude a display having an active visual area comprising multipleimaging devices collectively forming an image, such as with manymulti-monitor system or tiled displays, or multiple active visual areascollectively forming an image, such as with many JUMBOTRON® or similarvideo wall systems. The active visual area may include a single sensordevice disposed within the active visual area or multiple sensor devicesdisposed within the active visual area. The type, number, and positionof the sensors may vary depending on the application. In the preferredembodiment, the sensors are populated at varying heights and widthswithin the active visual area.

In some aspects, the sensor devices may include receiving capabilitiesand/or emitting capabilities. Accordingly, as a user or object movesabout the active visual area, at least one of the sensor devices mayemit and/or receive information associated with the user or object as itmoves. For example, in an embodiment with multiple sensor devices, as anobject moves about a room in front of the active visual area, the amountof information associated with that object that is collected by anygiven sensor device may change.

The virtual presence system may include at least one signal processor incommunication with the sensor devices. The signal processor may beconfigured to perform one or both of: (i) receive information from oneor more of the sensor devices having receiver capabilities; and/or (ii)deliver information for transmission via one or more of the sensordevices having emitter capabilities. For example, where two or moresensor devices comprise cameras, the received information from eachcamera may represent a respective sub-image captured by the respectivecamera. The sub-images may then be combined by the signal processor toform a larger single image. The larger single image may be presented onthe active visual area itself to create a mirror effect or at a remotelocation to create a window effect.

In certain illustrative embodiments, by having one or more sensordevices disposed at multiple locations within the active visual area, auser is able to look and talk directly into the active visual area atmultiple locations as a switching device selects the most suitablesensor device. In one embodiment, a mirror image may be presented backon the active visual area or on another display having an active visualarea. This eliminates many of the shortcomings of the prior artassociated with telepresence. For example, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention, users are able to look directly at eachother on the active visual area as if they were talking face-to-face.

Embodiments of the virtual presence system will now be discussed in moredetail. It will be appreciated that one or more sensor devices may bedisposed at any location within the active visual area. It will also beappreciated that one or more sensor devices may be disposed at anylocations within the active visual area comprised of a single displayelement (as with most computer monitors or televisions), multipledisplay elements (as with an LED type display), and/or tiled displays.It will further be appreciated that the virtual presence systemdescribed above may be embodied in many variations without departingfrom embodiments of the invention. For example, the virtual presencesystem may include LED type displays, OLED-type displays, LCD-typedisplays, or plasma-type displays, etc. Moreover, the virtual presencesystem may include a flexible display, a rigid display, or any otherdisplay known in the art.

In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 1, the virtual presence system100 may include a plurality of spaced pixel elements 102 collectivelyforming an active visual area 104 or a portion thereof. The pixelelements 102 may comprise, for example, LED's, OLED's, and/or LCD's,etc. The spaced pixel elements 102 are spaced apart and receive imagedate for collectively forming an image 106 on the active visual area 104when viewed as a whole. One or more sensor devices 108 are respectivelydisposed amongst or between the spaced pixel elements 102. Preferablythe spaced pixel elements 102 have a pixel gap of equal spacing betweenthe various pixels for providing a uniform presentation whichfacilitates off-axis viewing.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the spaced pixel elements 102 are supportedby a substrate 110. The substrate 110 includes a front surface 112 and aback surface 114 defining a thickness. The pixel gap is such that thespacing between adjacent pixels located on a particular substrate isequivalent to the spacing between adjacent pixels located on adjacentsubstrates in both the vertical and horizontal direction. Sensor devices108 are preferably disposed within the active visual area 104 betweenthe spaced pixel elements 102 and associated with respective apertures116 (depicted in phantom lines) in the thickness of the substrate 110.For example, the sensor devices 108 may be disposed partially orentirely within an associated aperture 116. The sensor devices 108 mayalso be disposed on the front surface 112 of the substrate 110 among orbetween the spaced pixel elements 102. Any part of the sensor device 108mounted on the front surface 112 of the substrate 110 and/or any leadsor wiring associated with the sensor devices 108 may be received, atleast in part, in the aperture 116 of the substrate 110. Sensors 108preferably populate the active visual area at multiple locations withdifferent vertical and lateral coordinates. In this manner the sensorcapturing capabilities are utilized for capturing information disposedbefore the entire active visual area. Preferably the sensor capturingcapabilities provide a sensor capture area at least equal to the activevisual area however it is possible that with sensors located near theperiphery of the of the active visual area that the sensor capture areaincludes the capturing of information from an area which is locatedbeyond the periphery of the active visual area.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the sensor devices 108 may be disposed on theback surface 114 of the substrate 110 and receive or emit data throughthe apertures 116. In one embodiment, the sensor devices 108 may havelenses that are at least partially received in the apertures 116. Anyleads or wiring 118 associated with the sensor devices 108 mounted onthe back surface 114 of the substrate 110 may be partially or entirelydisposed within an associated aperture 116 or partially or entirelydisposed on the back surface 114 of the substrate 110.

In another embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 3, the virtual presencesystem 100 may include a plurality of display elements 120 collectivelyforming an active visual area 104. The active visual area 104 maygenerate an image 106. Each of the display elements 120 furthercomprises a plurality of spaced pixel elements, such as spaced pixelelements 102 in FIG. 1. One or more sensor devices 108 are respectivelydisposed within one or more of the display elements 120, with the sensordevices 108 being further disposed between one or more of the spacedpixel elements of one or more of the display elements 120. Thearrangement of the sensor device in this embodiment is similar to thearrangement in FIG. 1; however, the spaced pixel elements 102 aregrouped together to form a display element 120, and the display elements120 are grouped together to form an active visual area 104 and image106.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the active visual area 104 may include astructural matrix 121 configured to arrange the display elements 120 ina configuration to provide the active visual area 104. Moreover, thedisplay elements 120 may include a structural sub-matrix 123 configuredto arrange the spaced pixel elements 102 in a configuration to providethe display elements 120. The structural matrix 121 and the structuralsub-matrix 123 may be independent of one another or integrated.

In yet another embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 4, the virtual presencesystem 100 may include a plurality of display elements 120 collectivelyforming a single active visual area 104. The active visual area 104 maygenerate an image 106. One or more sensor devices 108 are respectivelydisposed amongst or between one or more of the respective displayelements 120. In this embodiment, the display elements 120 include aplurality of spaced pixel elements, such as the spaced pixel elements102 in FIG. 1. The active visual area 104 may include a structuralmatrix 121 configured to arrange the display elements 120 in aconfiguration to provide the active visual area 104. Moreover, thedisplay elements 120 may include a structural sub-matrix 123 configuredto arrange the spaced pixel elements 102 in a configuration to providethe display elements 120. The structural matrix 121 and the structuralsub-matrix 123 may be independent of one another or integrated, and/ormay be of rigid and/or pliable construction. Because the sensor devices108 are disposed among or between the display elements 120, individualdisplay elements 120 are capable of being removed and replaced withouthaving to remove the sensor devices 108.

In one embodiment, the sensor devices may include receivingcapabilities. Accordingly, the sensor devices may include suitable meansfor collecting data related to light (visible and/or invisible),acoustics, energy (electrical, magnetic, and/or radiation), or any othersignals, frequencies, measurable properties, or combinations thereof.For example, the sensor devices having receiving capabilities maycomprise, but is not limited to, a sensor, a camera, a microphone, aninfrared camera, a night-vision camera, a UV sensor, a light sensor,and/or movement sensor, etc. In another embodiment, the sensor devicesmay include emitting capabilities. Accordingly, the sensor devices mayinclude any means for transmitting data related to light (visible and/orinvisible), acoustics, energy (electrical, magnetic, and/or radiation),or any other signals, frequencies, transmittable properties, orcombinations thereof. For example, the sensor devices having emittingcapabilities may comprise, but is not limited to, a sensor, a speaker, alaser, an RF emitter, and other optical and audio emitters, etc.Moreover, the sensor devices may include both receiving capabilities andemitting capabilities, such as, but not limited to, sound navigation andranging (SONAR). The type, number, and position of the sensor devicesmay vary depending on the application. In view of certain applications,the sensors are utilized for capturing information which may beprocessed and determine that movement exists by an entity located withinthe vicinity of the active display area. By detecting movement certainactions may be undertaken with the images displayed.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the virtual presence system 100 may include atleast one signal processor 122 in communication with the sensor devices108. The signal processor 122 is configured to perform one or both of:(i) receive information from one or more of the sensor devices 108having receiving capabilities; and/or (ii) deliver information fortransmission via one or more of the sensor devices 108 having emittingcapabilities. The signal processor may be independent of the virtualpresence system or integrated within the virtual presence system.Moreover, the signal processor may comprise a CPU, a digital signalprocessor, a remote network, a network processor, and/or any dataprocessor. In one aspect, the signal processor may receive or transmit avariety of information from the sensor devices. For example, where thesensor devices comprise two or more cameras, the received informationfrom each of the sensor devices may represent a respective sub-imagecaptured by the respective sensor device. The plurality of sub-imagesmay then be combined by the signal processor to form a larger singleimage. The larger image may then be displayed on the active visual areato create a mirror effect or displayed at a remote active visual area tocreate a window effect. The communication between the sensor devices andthe signal processor(s) may include wired or wireless communication.

The combining of sub-images, also referred to as image stitching, is theprocess of combining multiple images with overlapping fields of view toproduce a larger single image. The signal processor may include anymeans known in the art for combining or stitching multiple sub-imagestogether to form one larger image. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos.7,894,689; 7,006,111; 7,058,239; 5,990,904; and 7,778,491 all describedifferent means for stitching an image and are all herein incorporatedby reference. Moreover, programs for combining or stitching imagesinclude AUTOSTITCH®, HUGIN®, PTGUI®, PANORAMA TOOLS®, MICROSOFT RESEARCHIMAGE COMPOSITE EDITOR®, CLEVR STITCHER®, and ADOBE SYSTEMS PHOTOSHOP®.

The signal processor may also perform additional manipulations of thedata received from the sensor devices. For example, with regards toimages, the signal processor may manipulate magnification, color,contrast, brightness, and/or sharpness etc., or appropriately compensatefor differences in the lighting level in the environment. Similarly,with regards to acoustics, the signal processor may manipulate tone,volume, and/or pitch etc. It should be appreciated, however, that othermanipulation of data may be possible depending on the media.

As depicted in FIG. 5, the signal processors 122 of the virtual presencesystems 500 and 600 may be in communication with other virtual presencesystems 400. The communication between the signal processors may be overwired and/or wireless connections and networks, such as anyone orcombination of the Internet, cellular, WAN, WW AN, LAN, WLAN, WPAN, etc.Thus, information received from the sensor devices having receivercapabilities may be processed and transmitted to other virtual presencesystems where the information is presented on other active visual areas.Likewise, information received by the signal processor from othervirtual presence systems may be transmitted to and displayed on theactive visual area.

An illustrative embodiment for using the virtual presence system fortelepresence is depicted in FIG. 6. A first user 124 stands in front ofthe active visual area 130 of a first virtual presence system 126 andviews a second remote user 128 on the active visual area 130 of thefirst virtual presence system 126. The second remote user 128 ispositioned in front of a second virtual presence system and views thefirst user 124 on the active visual area of the second virtual presencesystem. As described above, one or more sensor devices are disposedwithin the active visual area 130 of the first virtual presence systems126 for processing information such as an image from the sensor capturearea. The sensor devices may, for purposes of this example, include oneor more cameras. The first user 124 and the second user 128 then speakdirectly to the image of the other. Because the sensor devices aredisposed within the active visual areas of the virtual presence systems,the first user 124 and second user 128 are able to speak to each otheras if they were fact-to-face. For example, multiple cameras may beplaced within the active visual area 130 in order to accurately captureall users or be switched to capture the speaker at that moment. Thecameras may be spaced apart at various widths and heights in order toprovide face-to-face viewing of seated and standing users, includingusers of different heights. The sensor devices receive images withintheir respective field of views. The images from all sensor devices maybe processed by the signal processor and combined or stitched togetherto create a single image for an active visual area. The single image maythen be displayed on the active visual area 130 to create a mirroreffect or at a remote active visual area 660,670 to create a windoweffect.

In one embodiment, the sensor devices include cameras positioned withinthe active visual area. A variety of cameras may be used including wideangle lenses, fish eye lenses, normal lenses, and/or any other angle ofview. Light shields may also be incorporated into the cameras to guardagainst backlight from the display. Moreover, specific cameras may beturned on or off depending on the need, such as resolution, energyconsumption, and/or temperature control. As discussed above, the imagesfrom all sensor devices may be processed by an associated signalprocessor and combined or stitched together to create a single image foran active visual area. The single image may then be displayed on theactive visual area to create a mirror effect or at a remote activevisual area to create a window effect.

In one embodiment, the sensor devices may include one or moremicrophones and/or speakers positioned within the active visual area.This provides location-specific sound and also allows users to speaktoward the active visual area furthering the face-to-face impression. Inanother embodiment, the one or more of the sensor devices of the virtualpresence system may include visual, acoustic, and/or infraredcapabilities, or any combination thereof.

As previously mentioned, in certain embodiments, the sensor devices mayinclude both receiving capabilities and emitting capabilities. Forexample as depicted collectively in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, a sensor 700with both emitting and receiving capabilities emits a signal 702 fromthe active visual area 704. The signal bounces of a user 706 standing infront of the active visual area 704 and is received by the sensor device700. The signal is then processed by the signal processor 708.

FIGS. 10-14 illustrate various environments wherein sensors are utilizedfor transmitting signals which are rebounded back to the sensor forsensing the presence of an object in front of the display. As shown inFIG. 10, the active area may display multiple images of varying objectssuch as a clock, a file folder, information contained within a file,etc. While such images are displayed to the individual in front of theimage area, the person's visual image may be transferred from imagescaptured by camera devices contained within the visual display to aremote audience. Such a configuration could be utilized to teach aremote class. The professor would have his notes before him and couldmanipulate the notes to assist him during his class presentation.

FIG. 11 illustrates the professor interacting with the files asdisplayed in the visual image area. By manipulating his hands, thesensors sense the movement and coordinate the individuals movement withthe active area of the display to enable the individual to interact withthe data displayed in the image area. The detection of movement may bedone by either visual or non-visual information sensed by the respectivesensors. This two-fold interaction enables information to be displayedin the image area while also utilizing sensors for evaluating themovement of the individual to manipulate the data as stored by thedisplay. By understanding what information is located where on thedisplay screen in combination with the knowledge of where the individualis positioning his movements, data manipulation on the screen may beorchestrated by the individual. Data may be retrieved or returned to a“non-active” area, with the data “opened” in an active area. Theconstruction of the “non-active” with “active” area may be determined bythe location of the various sensors and designated the particularsensors as being associated with certain types of display parameters allcoordinated by a central computer.

Additional “smart” displays are illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. As shownin FIG. 12, a particular advertisement is displayed. Sensors in thedisplay area identify the presence of an individual within the vicinity.Various sensors may be utilized to provide a profile of the individualto determine the person height, weight, or even camera recognition maybe utilized to determine if the individual is a male or female and theapproximate age of the individual. With these attributes obtained by thesensors located within the display area, a second display of informationproviding information of a more particular nature based upon the sensedattributes of the individual may be specifically targeted to theindividual. This active engagement of the display with the individualbefore the display is enabled by the presence of the sensors locatedwithin the display image area.

Certain embodiments of the invention can include means for transmissionto and from the sensor devices. The means for transmission to the sensordevices may include, but is not limited to, a fiber optic cable, awaveguide, and/or a conduit. For example, the fiber optic cables mayinclude a receiving end mounted to the active visual area at an aperturein the substrate, as discussed with regard to FIG. 1. Each fiber opticcable may terminate at a sensor device. For example, a charged-coupleddevice (CCD) sensor may be incorporated into the system.

As depicted in FIG. 8, an illustrative embodiment includes a circuitboard 800 having a plurality of LED packages 802 placed on a front side804 at a spacing of about six mm horizontally and six mm vertically. Abackside 806 of the circuit board 800 includes drivers, dataconnections, and power connections forming the LED package 802 thatenable the circuit board 800 to emit light and form a cohesive image.For example, each LED package 802 is a three mm2 plastic package thatcontains a red, green, and blue LED die. A six mm pixel pitch leavesthree mm of empty space between each of the LED packages 802 in both thehorizontal and vertical direction. During the manufacturing of thecircuit board 800, a hole is fabricated into the circuit board as wellas the necessary mounting bracket tree to hold a camera or the opticalfeed to a camera correctly in place over top of the hole. This enablesthe camera to look through the LED circuit board material into the spacein front of the display and capture an image from that space andtransfer that image to a video processor that takes the images from thecameras in the display and stitches them into one consolidated image.One such camera may include an Omnivision OV 10121 produced byOmniVision Technologies, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. In this embodiment,the camera is mounted to the backside of the circuit board and coupledwith the appropriate lensing to enable it to capture a portion of theimage in front of the display. A scanner module then multiplex togethera multitude of other camera modules into a display receiver that thenseamlessly merges all of the independent views into one cohesive masterview.

The present virtual presence system has been described in relation totelepresence systems. However, other applications employing displayshaving emitter devices or receiver devices disposed at multiplelocations within the active visual area envisioned. Such applicationsmay include telepresence systems, mirror imaging systems, security andmonitoring systems (i.e., traffic counts, people flow, viewing habits,etc.) and many others. For example, as depicted in FIG. 9, the virtualpresence system may be used to facilitate virtual presence at catwalktype events. As depicted, a first active visual area 900 with one ormore sensors (e.g., cameras) disposed within may be positioned adjacentto a runway 902. As models 904 walk past the first active visual area900, their image is captured. The image is then displayed in real timeon a second active visual area 906 at a remote location, therebycreating a virtual presence effect of actually being next to the runway.

The present invention provides for a highly interactive visual encounterbetween individuals both locally and remotely. In one envisionedembodiment, a display having an active display area contains cameraslocated within the spaces as provided by LEDs. By positioning cameras ina dispersed manner within the area of the active display area, multipleviews of individuals may be captured rendering an accurate portrayal ofthe individual for remote viewers. The system is intended to utilizeboth a local system for capturing local individuals and a remote systemfor displaying the captured individuals. Of course, identical systems atthe local and remote sites are preferred for a realistic presentation ofthe individuals present at a particular viewing such as ateleconference.

An additional embodiment envisions the utilization of cameras andsensors for sensing the actions of a local individual. By locating bothcameras and sensors within the active display area, the actions of theindividuals may be utilized to trigger certain events to occur on thedisplay while enabling the viewing image perceived by the remoteaudience to remain unchanged. By manipulating the display viewed by thelocal participant, the local participant may utilize the display as hisown personal active board and access information displayed on variousdesignated areas of the display. Furthermore, the display may bemanipulated to change the display from the active board environment to astraight display viewing the remote audience. In some circumstances thecameras in themselves may act as sensors by detecting movement of anindividual via comparison of preceding images or contrast images.

An additional embodiment envisions the utilization of cameras andsensors for sensing characteristics of a local individual formanipulating the image displayed on the active area to an imagedetermined by the attributes sensed by the sensors. Utilizing sensorsdispersed throughout the active display area creates a large area foraccumulating data which may accurately portray the attributes of theindividual and utilize the attributes in a database for determining adisplay for display.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those madeapparent from the foregoing disclosure, are efficiently attained. Sincecertain changes may be made in the above construction without departingfrom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matterscontained in the foregoing disclosure or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindisclosed, and all statements of the scope of the invention that, as amatter of language, might be said to fall there between.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. It may be desirable to combine features shown in variousembodiments into a single embodiment. A different number andconfiguration of features may be used to construct embodiments ofapparatus, systems and methods that are entirely within the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. Therefor, the spirit and scope of theappended claims should not be limited to the description of thepreferred versions contained herein.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for”performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specificfunction, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause asspecified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the useof “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke theprovisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A virtual presence system responsive to itsenvironment, the system comprising: a) a display having a structuralmatrix configured to arrange a plurality of spaced pixel elements, saidplurality of spaced pixel elements collectively forming an active visualarea wherein an image is displayable; said active visual area capable ofbeing continuously active for continuously displaying a displayed image;b) at least one sensor device disposed within the active visual area andamong said spaced pixel elements, said sensor not obstructed by any ofthe said spaced pixel elements; said sensor device operable to sensedata from the environment in front of said active visual area andcommunicate to a signal processor; c) said sensor device operable tocapture sensor data while said display is simultaneously operable fordisplaying said displayed image, said spaced pixel elements and saidsensor device capable of being simultaneously operative forsimultaneously displaying said displayed image and simultaneouslysensing data; and, d) said signal processor operative to: receive senseddata from said sensor device; and, respond to said sensed data bymodifying a visible attribute of said displayed image.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 further characterized in that the sensor device is operable tosense visible light from the environment in front of said active visualarea.
 3. The system of claim 2 further characterized in that the visibleattribute of said displayed image that is modified is brightness.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2 further characterized in that the visible attribute ofsaid displayed image that is modified is selected from the listconsisting of {contrast, color, sharpness}.
 5. The system of claim 1further characterized in that the displayed image is a first image, andin that the signal processor is further operative to: receive senseddata from said sensor device; and, respond to said sensed data bydisplaying a second image.
 6. The system of claim 1 furthercharacterized in that the sensor device is operable to sense motion fromthe environment in front of said active visual area.
 7. The system ofclaim 6 further characterized in that the displayed image is a firstimage, and in that the signal processor is further operative to: receivesensed data from said sensor device; and, respond to said sensed data bydisplaying a second image.
 8. A virtual presence system responsive toits environment, the system comprising: a) a display having a structuralmatrix configured to arrange a plurality of spaced pixel elements, saidplurality of spaced pixel elements collectively forming an active visualarea wherein an image is displayable; said active visual area capable ofbeing continuously active for continuously displaying a displayed image;b) at least one aperture disposed within the active visual area andamong said spaced pixel elements, said aperture not obstructed by any ofthe said spaced pixel elements; disposed in said aperture a transmissionmeans operative to transmit sensible data from the environment in frontof said active visual area to an image capture device, the image capturedevice operable to communicate to a signal processor; c) said imagecapture device operable to capture a captured image while said displayis simultaneously operable for displaying said displayed image, saidspaced pixel elements and said image capture device capable of beingsimultaneously operative for simultaneously displaying said displayedimage and simultaneously capturing said captured image; d) said signalprocessor operable to: receive said captured image; compute one or moreattributes from said captured image; and, respond to said one or moreattributes of said captured image by modifying said displayed image. 9.The system of claim 8 further characterized in that the transmissionmeans is one selected from the list consisting of {fiber optic cable,waveguide, conduit}.
 10. The system of claim 9 further characterized inthat the signal processor is configured to compute from said capturedimage attributes identifying the presence of one or more persons in thecaptured image.
 11. The system of claim 10 further characterized in thatthe system is operative to modify the displayed image based upon thepresence or absence of one or more persons in said captured image. 12.The system of claim 10 further characterized in that the signalprocessor is configured to compute from said captured image one or moreattributes from the list consisting of: {height of a person, weight of aperson, gender of a person, age of a person, identity of a person}; thesystem is further operative to modify the displayed image based upon oneor more sensed attributes from the list consisting of: {height of aperson, weight of a person, gender of a person, age of a person,identity of a person}.
 13. The system of claim 8 further characterizedin that the displayed image is a first image, and in that the signalprocessor is further operative to: receive sensed data from said sensordevice; and, respond to said sensed data by displaying a second image.14. The system of claim 8 further characterized in that the sensordevice is operable to sense motion from the environment in front of saidactive visual area.
 15. The system of claim 14 further characterized inthat the displayed image is a first image, and in that the signalprocessor is further operative to: receive sensed data from said sensordevice; and, respond to said sensed data by displaying a second image.